Overview
- Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry publicly urged the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council to withdraw from the two eastern governorates in an urgent and orderly manner.
- A joint Saudi-Emirati delegation has been in Aden to arrange the redeployment, but talks have not yielded a breakthrough, according to official statements and regional reporting.
- The STC seized Hadramout and al-Mahra earlier in December, taking oil facilities, government buildings and key border crossings as it consolidated control in the south.
- Riyadh said the moves were unilateral and carried out without approval from Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, warning they harmed the Yemeni public interest, the southern cause and coalition efforts.
- Government-aligned general staff reported at least 32 servicemen killed and 45 wounded during the Hadramout takeover, as the STC expanded operations into Abyan and signaled ambitions toward Sanaa.